Taking Note |
I’m More American, More Religious, and a Better Husband Than the Other Guy

Site Search Navigation

Site Navigation

Site Mobile Navigation

I’m More American, More Religious, and a Better Husband Than the Other Guy

By Andrew Rosenthal December 7, 2011 4:04 pmDecember 7, 2011 4:04 pm

Back in the halcyon days, political ads relied on scare-mongering and straw-man arguments to paint the opposition in the worst possible light. We were all so innocent in the Daisy era, when candidates merely suggested that if you voted for the other guy your little girl would die in a nuclear holocaust.

Now, we’re way past mere emotional manipulation. Responding to widespread criticism of a highly deceptive Mitt Romney spot, an unnamed operative told Thomas Edsall, an online columnist for the Times, that “ads are propaganda by definition…It’s ludicrous for them to say that an ad is taking something out of context. …All ads do that.”

In other words, outright lies are OK, because no one’s naïve enough to expect truth in advertising. Perhaps Rick Perry and his advisors will use this brave new standard to justify his campaign’s latest spot:

Mr. Perry says he’s “not afraid to admit [he’s] a Christian,” implying others are afraid to admit it — even though Republican presidential candidates regularly say Jesus Christ is their personal hero. That’s ridiculous, although not an outright lie.

Then he claims there’s something wrong with this country if gays can serve openly in the military, but kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas and pray in school. Kids can pray in schools, and last time I checked public schools close for Christmas. But I guess he was probably referring to school-sponsored prayer (which of course he did not say), so I won’t call that shameful and illogical comparison an outright lie.

Finally he says he’ll end Mr. Obama’s war on religion. Did I miss it when the president dissolved the monasteries? That, I’m pretty sure, counts as “propaganda by definition.” Or even an outright lie.

Maybe Mr. Perry’s on a secret mission to make the other candidates look good. By contrast with Mr. Perry’s latest ad, Mitt Romney’s feels mild.

He tells us he’s been married to his wife for 42 years (not-so-subtle dig at Newt Gingrich), worked at Bain for 25 years (surely a flip-flopper would’ve ditched Bain for McKinsey), and that he’d never apologize for America (a weird jab at the president, who has not, in fact, made a habit of issuing apologies).

Candidates now end their ads by saying, “I’m so-and-so, and I approved this message.” It would be nice to have a more meaningful disclaimer, like ”I’m Rick Perry, and I’m not a serious national leader, but I play one on TV.”